A Namekian Affair
by Kuurankukka
Summary: Piccolo and Dende fell in love and are a mated couple, but Piccolo isn't feeling quite well. Everyone is in for a huge surprise when Bulma discovers something revolutional during a medical check-up. But how is it possible? NOT Yaoi in Biological sense.
1. In for a Surprise

"Dende, we need to talk." Piccolo said, feeling uncomfortable to even bring up the subject. But he didn't know who else to talk to about his recent change in condition.

"What's the matter Piccolo?" Dende asked, being intrigued by Piccolo's sudden approach. It wasn't like him to say something like that, unless it was really important.

"Something's wrong with me." he said.

"Wrong? What you mean?"

"I've been unusually sick lately." he stated, looking away in embarrassment.

"How long?"

"It started some time after we… you know." Piccolo blushed a little as he recalled the first night of heated passion he had ever shared with his beloved, Dende. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, as they acted completely on instinct. But they both knew the meaning behind it all. They were now mated for life as life mates, partners, spouses. The love they shared for one another had truly blossomed in full bloom, even if it had taken some time.

"I feel sick almost all the time now, I get dizzy a lot and I've been exceptionally moody. And… I think I've gotten fat." Piccolo turned his head away, blushing.

"Fat?" Dende asked. "Can I see?"

Piccolo growled a little in annoyance, but then unfastened his sash and took off his shirt. At first Dende didn't see anything wrong, until Piccolo turned to his side.

"Whoa!" Dende was amazed, as he finally saw what the loose gi-top hid underneath.

Piccolo was still looking uncomfortable.

"You don't look fat to me, just… bloated." Dende said. "Can I… Touch it?"

"If you must…" Piccolo said, embarrassed, as Dende put his hand on his stomach.

"You don't feel fat either; it's all firm and solid, not soft and baggy like fat. I have no idea what's going on. Never seen or heard of anything similar before in my life!" Dende seemed totally confused by his mate's current state.

"You think it's serious?" Piccolo asked, but not showing he was scared a little.

"I don't know. Are you sure you're not just badly constipated?" Dende asked, as Piccolo's face turned bright purple as he shouted in embarrassment: "Quite sure!"

Dende got nervous as he backed down a little: "Alright, no need to yell!"

"Then stop asking questions like that." he said, turning around and putting his gi-top on and fastening his sash.

"I think we should go to the Capsule Corporation." Dende said.

"Huh?" Piccolo asked. "For what?"

"Well, Bulma has some medical devises in there. I don't think your condition should go unchecked. There's nothing I could do about it here on the lookout since I really don't know what's causing it. Bulma could be able to figure it out with her equipment."

Piccolo thought it for a while, and as unappealing the idea of have the babbling female inspect him with some weird human contraptions, he understood there probably wasn't much of other options.

"Fine." He agreed. "We shall go to Bulma's."

* * *

Bulma was on the backyard of the Capsule Corporation having a little soda while sunbathing in her bikini with her mother. Trunks was swimming in the pool with Goten and Bra, and Vegeta was, yes you guessed it right, training in the Gravity Chamber. Suddenly she was awakened when she heard Goten yell about Mr. Piccolo and Dende. And sure enough, the two had just landed on their yard.

"Hey, Mr. Piccolo! Dende!" Trunks yelled to the Namekians. "Wanna come in and swim with us?"

"No thanks, Trunks, we're in fact here to see your mother." Dende told the lavender haired teenager.

"Huh? What you need my mom for?"

Before Dende could say anything, Piccolo stopped him and said: "Nothing you'd be interested in. You have fun with Goten and your sister, alright?"

"Okay, whatever you say, Piccolo. Hey, you think we could spar later, huh?" Trunks asked eagerly.

"Uhh, not today, kid. I feel kinda off."

"Oh, bummer." Trunks seemed disappointed. "Maybe some other time, then?"

"Yeah, sure, kid." Piccolo smirked a little, as he and Dende walked to Bulma.

"Hey you two, what's going on? You sure don't come around for just for a visit too often, now do you?" Bulma greeted the Namekians cheerfully.

"I guess we don't." Dende admitted a little embarrassed. "The thing is, we have a little bit of a problem and we don't know who else to ask for help, but you.

"Oh, what seems to be the problem?" Bulma asked, curious.

Dende filled her in with Piccolo's strange illness after walking away a safe distance from everyone else.

"Wow, that sure sounds alarming. Good thing you came. I can now use you as my test subjects to our newest medical device models." She smiled happily, as she led them to the testing room.

"As the main problem seems to be Piccolo's stomach, I suggest him going lie down here." she showed a hospital bed. "I'll then have a look at his insides with this machine and see what seems to be the problem in there." she informed.

Piccolo was still feeling very awkward about this whole thing but for Dende's sake (and for his own peace of mind) he obeyed and lay on the bed.

"Now, take your shirt off, Piccolo." she asked, smiling.

Piccolo wasn't on a very good mood so he just growled a little but did as he was told without saying anything. But as Bulma was about to put some sort of a gel on his belly, he became alive again.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing?" He asked, raising his voice.

"Hey, don't worry. This gel is a vital part of this process. Without it, we can't get much of a view."

"Come on, Piccolo." Dende pleaded him. "It's for your own good."

"Ah, alright!" Piccolo lay down again but with an unhappy face.

Bulma poured the gel on his stomach and he winced a little as it was so cold. She spread it all around his belly and then took out the transducer and started scanning Piccolo's insides with it. A shady image appeared on the computer screen. Both Dende and Piccolo looked at the screen with interest, though weren't sure if they could make out much of it.

"So, there's your stomach, and that's your liver." Bulma pointed out, and after carefully checking everything out, she continued: "Everything would seem to be in order up here." Then she put the transducer lower on his belly. "There's your colon and bowels... and…" She stopped all of a sudden, as her eyes widened drastically. Dende and Piccolo looked at her, curious. Bulma adjusted the screen, zoomed in the picture and cleared it out. What they saw made all three hold their breath.

"…Is…" Dende began not being able to believe his eyes. "…Is that what I think it is?"

Piccolo just stared the picture his eyes wide and mouth open, not being able to say a word.

Bulma was the first one of them to snap out of it, and opened the speakers. A steady, fast thumping noise entered the room.

Bulma nodded, ecstatic. "It would seem congratulations are in order!" She smiled. "Piccolo, you are going to have a baby!"


	2. How Is It Possible?

"A... baby…?" Piccolo repeated dazed, not really registering anything happening around him as he just stared hypnotized the slightly moving picture on the screen.

"Yes!" Bulma yelled in excitement. "Aren't you happy?"

Dende was the second to snap out of it and his open mouth suddenly formed the biggest grin anyone had ever seen on him.

"Oh, wow…" He said, amazed, and took Piccolo by the hand. "Wow… It's… it's unbelievable. See? That's our child you're carrying. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think this would be possible. I'm so happy, Piccolo!"

For that one moment he forgot Bulma was there and lightly embraced Piccolo with a hug and one gentle kiss on the cheek. Piccolo didn't show any reaction, as he was still just staring at the screen, while Bulma was looking wide-eyed at the affectionate scene she was witnessing. That was the second thing today that say she had not expected to ever see.

"Dende…?" She asked carefully. "Are you saying that you… and _Piccolo_…? And that the baby is….?

Dende blushed then, smiling, and nodded shyly.

"Oh, wow…" Bulma managed to say. "I had no idea… not just about you being together but that you could… You know. Do _this_!

Dende just smiled, looking at his mate. "Trust me, we didn't know either."

"Congratulations for both of you, then." Bulma smiled, and Dende nodded in appreciation, still holding Piccolo's hand.

Piccolo finally came around and looked away deep in thought. He just couldn't believe it. He was with child? Not in a million years did he ever think anything like this would happen to him. Heck, he didn't even know he was able to carry another man's child. Nameks usually reproduced by spitting out eggs, not by developing their young inside their bodies like humans. It was just too much to swallow at once. He shook his head and stood up suddenly, ready to leave.

"Hey Piccolo, where you going?" Dende asked.

"I need some time alone." He said, and took off.

"Piccolo, wait!" Dende cried after him, but in vain.

Bulma put her hand on his shoulder. "Let him go. It's a lot to get accustomed to. I know so myself, being a woman and a mother. Let alone him, who I guess didn't even know he was even able to bear a child. He'll be back after he's cleared out his head."

"I hope you're right." Dende said, putting up a weak smile.

"I know I am. But enough about that. You owe me a huge explanation about everything that's been going on between you two, and don't you dare leaving out any juicy details!" Bulma insisted, cornering him wearing this wry smirk on her face that told Dende there was no way he could get out of the situation.

"Umm, rrrriiiighttt…." He said, flustered, realizing the awkwardness of the situation, and began hesitantly telling the whole story with both of Bulma's gossip-hungry ears as his audience.

* * *

Piccolo didn't know where he was headed, but knew he couldn't go back to the lookout, at least not yet. He needed time to think through all of this. So many questions filled his mind. How could this have happened? Why it was he who was pregnant and not Dende? And why now?

He flew aimlessly until he decided that he'd go this old home lair by the waterfall. That place always had a calming effect to his mind. But that was a small distraction as the other thoughts filled his mind again.

Piccolo felt himself quite self conscious all of a sudden. Would he even make a good parent? He knew next to nothing about babies. And what the others would think when they heard about the whole thing? He sure wished the blue haired female would be smart enough to keep her mouth shut about this, but at the same time he knew it was probably too much to be asked. He could already hear the mocking laughter of Bulma's husband, Vegeta, who would never pass a chance like this to humiliate him in any ways he could just think of. That bastard…

At this point Piccolo had reached his old home lair and sat on a rock to think about all this. The place was as serene as ever, and it soothed Piccolo's shaken mind a little. He could almost see all those countless times he had trained in the valley…

And that reminded him. What about his training? He'd fall far behind of his schedule as the pregnancy would most likely prevent him from training with all he got… And not only because he'd most likely soon have a belly the size of a beach ball but with all the darn side-effects it had on him.

"Oh, Kami… What am I going to do?"

And the birth… The idea of having to give birth to this thing was already scaring the heck out of him. If it was anything similar to how he knew the humans did it, that is. Disgusting, and no doubt very painful.

"Kami, how did I ever get into this mess!"

Nameks aren't supposed to get pregnant, right? But why he was now, then? Was he an abomination amongst his species? Some weird hermaphroditic freak of nature? Or were all his kind the same? But why Dende didn't know anything about this, then? Sure the elders of their home planet would have explained him the ways of life if that was the way it's supposed to happen? Or maybe they were just too embarrassed not to?

"This is all just too confusing! Oh, Kami, I think I'm going to be sick…"

With that said, Piccolo doubled over and vomited for the third time that day.

"Ewwk." He said, and cleaned his mouth. "The day just keeps getting better and better." The Namekian warrior noted sarcastically. Just as he was about to blow the vomit on the ground into oblivion, he felt a familiar ki approaching. It was Gohan.

"Ah, great. He sure picked up the perfect timing for a visit." Piccolo continued his sarcastic manner and sat down again. And he was right, not even a minute later Gohan stepped down behind him only a few feet away.

"Hey, Mr. Piccolo! Long time no see!" The demi Saiyan greeted his old mentor.

"Hey, Gohan." Piccolo answered, but notably less enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here? I thought you lived up in the lookout these days." the dark haired young man asked.

"I do. Just don't feel like being there right now, is all."

"Why?" His long time best friend asked. "Did Mr. Popo kick you out?"

Gohan just chuckled, but Piccolo looked far from amused. It took a while for Gohan to notice this, and when he did, he immediately regretted his joke.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by it!" the man apologized, looking worried. But Piccolo didn't seem to even notice it.

"Gohan?" The Namekian asked.

"Yes, Piccolo?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it, Mr. Piccolo?"

"What was it like… When you were first told you were going to be a father?" The warrior asked, shyly.

"What was it like? What you mean?" His younger friend asked.

"What were you thinking then? How did it feel like?" Piccolo clarified.

"Oh wow." Gohan said, a little curious what had brought this up all of a sudden. "It literally blew my mind. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but still a huge surprise, a very pleasant surprise that is. I was really happy and proud but a little scared at the same time. I mean, I didn't know what to expect! Sure I had some prior experience on being around a pregnant woman and so on when mom was expecting Goten, but still. It was a huge change. Changed my view on life in general, really. I mean, I came to realize I was no longer the main character in my life, but this child was. It was so surreal then, the idea that I was going to be someone's father. Like, think about it, me? A dad? I didn't know if I was even ready for the job."

"Hmm, I see. And how do you feel now?" Piccolo asked.

"I wouldn't change it for the world. Sure it was a big change and all, but it's all been worth it. I had no idea what I was missing out all this time. Of course, taking care of a child is hard work to say the least, but it's all so worth it. I wouldn't know how I'd survive without my little Panny now. She's the sweetest kid ever.

"I'm sure she is." Piccolo managed to smirk a little.

"May I ask you something, Mr. Piccolo? Gohan figured he'd better not let the opportunity go to waste. "I mean, why the sudden interest? Are you thinking about settling down and starting a family of your own?"

Piccolo was taken aback by Gohan's question, but saw there was no use to lie to his former student. He just didn't really know how to answer it.

"Erm… Something… like that." He managed to stutter out, his back still turned to his friend.

Gohan didn't believe his ears.

"Really! You're not kidding me, are you Mr. Piccolo? That's wonderful!"

Gohan was very delighted to hear this. Had his former sensei finally met someone and fallen in love? Someone he considered sharing the rest of his life and to have a family with? It just sounded too good to be true. He walked towards Piccolo and sat next to him on the rock he was sitting on, with a mischievous look on his face.

"So…? Is it someone I know?"

"Wha-what?"

"Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about. You've fallen in love, haven't you? I mean, why else would you be thinking about these things? Come on, Piccolo. I'm your best friend. You can tell me." Gohan pleaded.

Piccolo couldn't help but blush at this sudden observation, and turned his face away a little.

"Aha, I knew it! There's no way denying it now, Piccolo. Come on! Tell me. Who is she?"

Piccolo thought a while how to put it. So far Bulma was the only one who knew anything about how close he and Dende were. The Namekian wasn't really good when it came to socializing, but figured that since the kid would find out sooner or later anyway, he might as well tell him now.

"There is no 'she'." he said, so quietly that Gohan wasn't sure he heard him right.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said there is no 'she'." Piccolo said, louder this time. The look on Gohan's face told him he wasn't quite sure what to think about this whole thing. Piccolo decided he had better explain further before Gohan would make any misassumptions. He looked down on the ground and blushed, as he stated awkwardly:

"It's Dende."

Gohan's eyes went wide and he fell down on his back at the confession.

"De…Dende?"


	3. Making Sense of Things

"…And that's the whole story." Dende stated, feeling awkward, blushing as he was being pinned in the corner of the lab by Bulma. She, however, enjoyed every last bit of what she was hearing, and was getting even more excited than what she already was.

"This is remarkable! Oh, my gosh, it's too good to be true!" She squealed.

Dende was just staring at the floor, blushing awkwardly.

"The Earth is going to host the very first child being born out of the only two Namekians living here, and who just happen to be the former and present Guardians of the planet! I'd call for a press conference would it not be for the fact that almost nobody knows about you and wouldn't believe it anyway." Bulma was ecstatic.

"Yeah, and we prefer it that way, too." Dende reminded her, quickly.

"I know, I know! Don't worry, okay?" She reassured. "Oh, by the way, does anyone else know about this yet?"

"Oh, no!" Dende noted hastily. "Nobody but us, not even Mr. Popo… Though he's not stupid, I bet he at least suspects something by now. But he's way too considerate to pry, or gossip for the matter."

"I see." Bulma said, with an evil grin of satisfaction forming on her face. Dende felt even more uncomfortable now.

" But, all this was a huge surprise... We… We honestly didn't know we could… Produce an offspring together."

"Yeah. I think I remember you saying on Namek all those years ago that Namekians are born out of eggs, and that Guru fathered you all on his own? How did he do that?"

"Yes, it's true. Our people normally do it by spitting out eggs. Guru being the only one on planet Namek who survived the great cataclysm had to repopulate the entire planet on his own. After his passing, the other Nameks continued his work and produced eggs. But… I don't remember there ever being any mated couples like here on Earth with the males and females. We Namekians are all the same gender. To be honest I didn't even know it was possible for our kind to feel attraction or anything like that for one another. But it… felt so right, you know? Like, as if it was always meant to be like that?"

"Well, we could easily find out!" Bulma said, happily.

"We can? How?" Dende asked, surprised.

"Because, I have a theory… But to know whether I'm right or not, I need to study your anatomy."

Dende's eyed grew huge and he blushed in horror. When Bulma saw his reaction she calmed him down: "Oh, no need to worry! I'm not going to take a peek into your pants." and winked her eye in amusement.

Dende let out the breath he had been holding in relief.

"I just need to study you with the same equipment I used on Piccolo. Would that be okay?"

"Umm…" Dende hesitated at first, but eventually agreed. In fact, he was quite curious himself what the human female had in mind. The guardian laid on the same bed as Piccolo had earlier, and Bulma was getting ready with her equipment.

"Alright, let's see what you have in there…" She said, smiling a little too enthusiastically for Dende's taste.

* * *

"It's Dende." Piccolo said, making Gohan fall down on his back from pure shock.

"De-Dende?" He asked, astounded, as he climbed back on the rock.

"Y-yeah…" Piccolo confirmed, looking away, slightly blushing.

"W-wow… I mean… H-how… I mean…?" Gohan stuttered.

Piccolo thought for a moment. "Good question." He said, quietly.

"Oh wow… " Gohan blinked his eyes. "I… I had no idea y-you… Swung that way."

Piccolo eyed his pupil a little confused from underneath his brows.

"…O-or any way at all, to be honest." He continued.

Piccolo turned away and sighed.

"It's not something I can explain, really."

"No, no, it's alright… I-I'm just… surprised, is all!" Gohan assured his sensei, though still seemingly in shock by the revelation. "So…" He tried to think of something to say and cleared his throat. "H-have you… Told him?"

"Told what?"

"That you… You know. Like him?"

Piccolo was silent for a moment. "I didn't have to."

Gohan blinked again. "What you mean?"

The Namek blushed again a little. "Let's just say that… Turned out… it wasn't one-sided.

Gohan was taken aback. "Not… One-sided?"

Piccolo glanced Gohan quickly and nodded, wearing the same slightly awkward look on his face.

"Oh my gosh, wow… Really? Y-you mean…? Are you two…?" Gohan continued his stuttering, his eyes growing even larger as his former sensei stirred around uncomfortably avoiding his gaze, flushing bright purple suddenly, with drops of sweat forming on his forehead. It didn't take long as the young man began to realize the hidden meaning behind the green man's reaction, about the depth of the relationship between the two Nameks.

"We're mated." Piccolo broke the silence, confirming his suspicions. "For life."


	4. Revolutional Discovery

Meanwhile, Bulma was done studying Dende's insides. She shrieked in excitement.

"I knew it!" She proclaimed. "Oh my gosh, this is revolutionary! I should be granted a Nobel award for this!"

Dende was confused. He had no idea what the woman was talking about, about awards that were noble and what she was so excited about.

"Erm, Bulma?" He asked. "What is so great about my anatomy that makes you so exhilarated?"

"Great? It's marvelous! Here, let me show you!" She put the transducer back on his lower belly and pointed in the screen.

"See that?" She asked. Dende stared at the screen but wasn't sure what to make of it. "What is it?"

"It's a womb, you silly! See? There are the ovaries and the fallopian tubes." She pointed to the screen. "That means both you and Piccolo have a fully functional female reproductive system!"

Dende didn't know what to think of it, so he didn't say anything. Not that he even had the chance, as Bulma continued: "And there, see that? That's your bladder, and that thing right underneath it is your prostate, and that is the seminal vesicle!" She grinned. "And knowing you knocked Piccolo up; I don't need to guess what you have in your pants." She giggled as Dende's face flushed bright purple. "And I'm sure Piccolo has what you have down there as well, doesn't he?" She winked her eye at him. Dende rolled his eyes his face still covered in purple and nodded awkwardly, confirming what she had just said.

The scientist couldn't stop laughing at Dende's discomfort for a while. After she managed to catch a breath, she remembered what she was supposed to say earlier.

"Oh, yeah! You know what this means, Dende?" She grabbed the front of the Guardian's robes in excitement. "You guys have both sets! This means the Namekian race is not asexual but hermaphroditic instead, capable of reproducing both ways!" She squealed. "This is fantastic!"

Dende's eyes bulged out of their sockets at the revelation. He had never even thought of the possibility before. All he had known his entire life was the asexual way of producing offspring, that's the way everyone on his home planet did it, at least, as far as he knew. Though he had to admit he was so young when he had left, so maybe they hadn't yet had time to tell him about these matters. Maybe they considered it as something that should be told only after he was older. And as the Guardians traditionally were unmarried men, they didn't think he would even need to know about these things, or simply assumed Piccolo would tell him anything he needed to know when the time was right. But they didn't come to think that Piccolo, having been born and raised on Earth without a parent, was as new on these things as he was. Heck, Piccolo didn't even know what he was until he was a grown-up and had been told so by another alien of another species.

'Oh my, what a mess!' He thought. 'I need to contact the elder Muuri and discuss about this with him.' Though the idea of having a child together with Piccolo was a dream-come-true for him, he felt like he needed to make sure his brothers on planet Namek were okay with this. He got a little nervous. What if it was against their religion or something? Or considered as an act of sacrilege against his position as the Guardian of Earth? He had been so busy with the confusion about his feelings for the older Namekian and everything that was involved in the forming of their relationship to the point where it was now, that he hadn't even had time to think about it from that point.

…"Oh I can't wait until the others find out about this!" Bulma yelled out loud. Dende hadn't heard a single thing of what she had said during his pondering, but his attention was now fully back on her.

"What? You're not planning on telling them, are you?" He said, suddenly worried.

"Why not? This is a reason for a celebration! Oh, it's been such a long time since we had a get-together. Everyone is invited! I know, maybe we could arrange a baby shower the same time!" She grinned, stars in her eyes.

"I don't know if it would be such a good idea…" Dende pleaded. "You know how Piccolo is like, he hates that kind of things! And I can only imagine how embarrassing it would be for him."

"Ah, nonsense! Besides, it's not like I was calling up the gathering for tomorrow, goodness no! Let's say, maybe a couple of weeks from now, or so? So that you guys could be more comfortable to the idea of having a baby, plus I need time to organize things!"

"…But…but…" Dende tried, but in vain. He was soon being pushed outdoors by the overjoyed woman.

"Now now, no need to thank! I shall take care of everything!" She smiled. "You just tell Piccolo about my plans and chillax, I shall contact you about the date and time later. I've got a lot to do now, so I guess I'll just see you guys later!" She smiled, as she closed the door on Dende, and went running upstairs yelling for her mother: "Hey mom! Guess what! We're going to have a party!"

Outside the nervous Dende just shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, how in the name of all the Kais am I going to break this to Piccolo?"


	5. Awkward Situations

"You're WHAT!" Gohan shouted, in utter shock, not sure whether to believe what he just heard, or not.

"It's true." Piccolo said, blushing, looking awkwardly in the opposite direction with tiny drops of sweat on his forehead.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Gohan shouted, looking at his sensei in complete disbelief.

"I mean, you… You and Dende? You're… Lemme gets this straight, y-you tell me you have… Of all people, you have feelings for Dende, and then he suddenly feels the same way and now you say you guys have… made it… official!"

Piccolo was quiet for a while. "Well, not just official."

Gohan quirked an eyebrow.

"I said we're mated, for life. You humans would probably call it… being married."

Gohan fell on his bottom. "M-married!"

Piccolo just stared the ground, blushing again.

"Oh… My… Gosh, oh my gosh! I-I… I dunno what to say!" Gohan stuttered in shock.

Piccolo was quiet.

"Other than congratulations, and all that, I just, I… It all came a little sudden, you know? Oh, wow..." he said, trying to put out a smile, though he was still definitely trying to digest what he had just been told.

They were both quiet for a while, until Gohan finally broke the silence.

"How long?"

Piccolo turned to him looking confused.

"How long has this been going on?" he elaborated.

Piccolo sighed. "A while. We both struggled with our feelings for much longer though."

Then he had a small break again.

"It was maybe about 6 months ago he first confessed me his feelings, and about a month ago we… sealed the deal." He had a small break. "Mated."

"Oh, w-wow." Gohan managed to stutter. "I most definitely didn't see this one coming… Not that it was bad it did! He corrected himself quickly. "I just… I dunno. It's just never occurred to me you guys might be… You know."

Piccolo managed to smirk a little. "You're not the only one… "

Gohan was deep in thought yet still seemed quite bewildered. Suddenly he seemed to realize something.

"Wait a second… Namekians don't have any females, right?"

"Not that I know of." Piccolo confirmed.

"So, I suppose if you look at things from that point of view, I guess it's only natural you two became attracted of one another…"

Piccolo quirked an eye ridge.

"I mean, maybe this is the way of your people?" He elaborated. "Are all Namekians like this?"

"I don't know, really." Piccolo admitted. "We never discussed it with Dende that much. All I know is that he seemed to be equally confused about this at first as I was."

It was Gohan's turn to look confused now. "Really? That's interesting… You would think he if anyone knew if his people mated with one another like you two did."

"I suppose, but he was as clueless about everything as I was, like I said."

"Alright, alright. I was just wondering…" Gohan said quietly.

Meanwhile Dende had flown back on the Lookout to see if Piccolo had returned yet. He had tried to search for his ki signature earlier, but Piccolo had blocked it by then. While running through the corridors of the palace, he bumped into Mr. Popo.

"Oh, young Master! Are you alright?" He asked, as he helped Dende back on his feet.

"Yes, I'm fine, Mr. Popo. I'm sorry for not looking at where I was going."

"That is quite alright. Is there anything I can do for you?" The jolly genie asked.

"Actually, have you seen Piccolo around? I need to talk to him."

"Oh, I haven't seen him since you left with him earlier. Why? Did something happen?"

"You could say that…" Dende said, looking a bit nervous. "We went to Bulma's, and…" Realizing just now what he was about to say, made the young Guardian even more nervous. He didn't know how to put it so that it wouldn't come as a complete shock.

"Umm, Mr. Popo?"

"Yes, Dende?"

"I need to ask you something…"

"Sure, what is it?"

"H-how much… D-do you know about…Piccolo a-and me?" the young Namek stuttered.

Mr. Popo's eyes widened in curiosity.

"I'm not sure if I understand you correctly, Dende."

"I-I mean like, h-how do you see o-our r-relationship a-as?"

"Oh. Well, I think you both seem to be very fond of one another."

Dende nodded. "That's true. T-there's more than, though."

Mr. Popo didn't say anything this time, only stared. Dende took in a deep breath, until he managed to say it out loud:

"We're… together."

"Hmm?" The Genie said, in curiosity.

"Piccolo and I… We're in love with one another."


	6. Knocked Up

"I still can't believe it!" Gohan proclaimed. "Two of my very best friends fall in love and become involved, and even marry in a sense, right under my nose and I didn't notice anything!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. Despite being extremely smart (mostly book smart only, mind you), Gohan had also inherited some of his father's famous traits, one of which were that sometimes they wouldn't see the obvious even if a map was drawn for them. Though he had to admit they had been very careful about not exposing their relationship too soon. But the truth was, and Piccolo was sure about it, that the younger man should have been able to at least suspect something was going on, had he ever paid enough attention.

"So, uhh… Wow.

"Y-yeah." The green man agreed.

"So… How's Dende?"

"Exhilarated."

"Is he? Heh… He must be totally head over heels for you, in that case." Gohan blurted out, awkwardly.

Piccolo blushed bright purple at the remark, not realizing the double meaning his own answer had held, but Gohan didn't pick it up.

"It's so weird seeing you like this, you know." The half Saiyan noted.

"You don't even know a half of it, kid." The warrior mumbled under his breath.

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Nothing."

"Oh. Never mind, then." The younger man sat down as his former sensei just kept staring into the distance while sitting on the same rock as he had when Gohan had arrived.

He decided to lie down. Looking into the sky he started playing through everything he had heard today, as in processing it. After some time, some things started playing in his head repeatedly. At first he didn't pay much of any attention on it, but after a while, as if something wanted him to know something, he started noticing it. Little did he know what he was about to discover.

The scene from the first part of the conversation came clear in his head. Hadn't Piccolo originally asked Gohan about becoming a… Yes, he had. And now that he really thought about it, he could have sworn he heard Piccolo say he "didn't know a half of it" earlier… And about Dende being, quote "exhilarated"… His pupils dilated all of a sudden at the realization.

"PICCOLO!" He yelled, causing the green man stand up from the surprise.

"You… You…" He stuttered.

"You knocked him up, didn't you!"

Mr. Popo was quiet for a while.

"I figured as much." He eventually said.

"You did?" Dende asked, surprised.

"Well, Master Dende. I had my suspicions but didn't think much about it. I knew I could count on that you would tell me when you were ready."

"So, you're okay with it!" The younger man asked, stunned.

"What my personal opinions may or may not be, young Master, do not matter. As long as this doesn't interfere with your job and is what truly makes you both happy.

"I'm so glad you feel that way about it!" the younger man said, visibly relaxing; having been afraid the caretaker of the Lookout wouldn't approve this kind of relationships.

"I was so afraid you might disapprove it, especially since now that we are…" Dende cursed in his mind when he realized he had once again spoken without thinking first.

"You are what, Dende?" The clueless genie asked.

Dende bit his lip. "Well, I already mentioned before that we went to Bulma's, right?"

"Yes, you did. Why?"

Dende rubbed the back of his head a little nervously. "Well, the reason we went there was because Piccolo hadn't been feeling well lately so I thought that it would be the best to have Bulma check him up, you know with all those fancy medical contraptions they have, and all."

"Oh, my! I had no idea! Is he alright?" The black man exclaimed, worried.

"Y-yeah, he was alright, nothing to worry about! Just that..." Dende explained, obviously still tense.

Mr. Popo listened carefully to every word his Master said. Something didn't seem right.

"Just that, what, young Master?"

"Well it turns out that… I am going to be a Father!" Dende blurted out. "Piccolo is expecting a baby!" he added, chuckling sheepishly with his eyes closed. After a few seconds of silence, the next thing he knew was a loud thud that echoed in the corridors. He quickly opened his eyes just to find Mr. Popo lying on the ground, unconscious.

The view amused and distressed the poor Guardian. "Oh, my. Well, I suppose that wasn't exactly what he ever expected to hear." he said, letting out a few nervous chuckles.


	7. Belly Business

"W-what!" Piccolo exclaimed, in surprise.

"Before, you asked me about becoming a father, did you not?" Gohan demanded.

"Y-yes, but…"

"So, why else would you ask, unless…"

"Y-you're jumping into conclusions, kid." Piccolo stated, baffled, turning his back to his former student.

"But why else would you…"

"I have my reasons. Now, drop it."

"You said Dende was exhilarated and that I didn't know the half of it!" The younger man continued.

"I said, DROP IT!"

"So, is he pregnant, or…"

"He's NOT! Piccolo yelled, irritated.

"…Is not?" Gohan asked, confused.

"No. And I told you to drop it!" The Namek ordered, irritated.

Gohan was utterly lost now.

"But why did you…"

"Gohan…" The green man growled.

"Aw, come on… I just want to know what's going on!"

"Nothing! So, will you just DROP IT already?" Piccolo was getting really pissed off by now.

"Why make such a big deal about it, then?"

"Because…!" Piccolo started, realizing he had lost the verbal fight just then. Gohan was all ears, looking at his former sensei trying to find a way to say what he was about to, looking very uncomfortable.

"…Because he is not. …I am." he stuttered.

Gohan's eyes grew twice as big at the statement.

"Come again?"

"Dende is not pregnant. I am." Piccolo stated, a lot clearer this time; with a purple hue spreading on his cheeks. He turned around, turning his back to the bewildered Gohan, looking to the ground.

"Are you happy now?" he asked his student, sounding something in between embarrassed and violated in Gohan's ears.

"P-Piccolo…" he stuttered. "Is it… Is it true?"

The green man was quiet for a while, but then nodded."

"We just found out… today."

"Oh, wow… I… I would have never thought…" the half Saiyan almost whispered, but Piccolo heard everything he said.

"I… I'm sorry if I violated your privacy. I didn't mean to embarrass you." he continued, looking sad.

The Namekian was silent for a while.

"Gohan. As my friend, you had the right to know. But you have to understand that I can barely comprehend myself what is going on. I would have told you later, when I was more comfortable with the idea."

"I understand. I'm sorry, Mr. Piccolo." He said, sitting down his head held low.

They were both quiet for a while.

After Piccolo's adrenaline levels had stabilized again, he felt bad about snapping at his friend. He had to admit that he felt better now that Gohan knew what was going on. The green man wanted to somehow make it up for the human, and a peculiar idea came in his mind. He walked up to the other man.

"Would you like to see it?" he asked, smirking a little.

Gohan lifted his head up, looking confused at his friend. Piccolo took off his cape and lifted up his gi-shirt and turned to the side. Gohan couldn't believe his eyes. There, in the midsection of Piccolo's perfectly fit body, was a very visible (and a very cute, he thought) baby bump. Piccolo lifted a hand on his belly, and rubbed it a little.

"W-wow…" Gohan was blown away.

"I know." Piccolo said, feeling a tiny bit proud at showing off his belly.

"Did you or Dende know this was possible?" the human asked.

"Uh… in fact… we did not. We were equally surprised."

"I can imagine… I sure never expected you to ever find a mate, let alone have kids." Gohan smiled, and Piccolo blushed a little.

"When are you due?" he suddenly asked.

"Uhmm…" Piccolo realized. "Actually, I have no idea."

"Oh…" Gohan said, blinking his eyes. "Well, how far along are you, then?"

"Umm… About a month and a half, I guess." The taller man recalled.

"Not more than that? Wow. Videl was this big when she was about 4 months along with Pan. I wonder…

"Hmmm…" Piccolo thought.

"So, maybe… I'm not sure of course, but if this keeps going on… compared to the human gestation, I think you should be due in less than 3 months."

"Hmh. I guess only time will tell…" Piccolo said, managing to cast a little smile.

Gohan seemed to then remember something all of a sudden.

"Uh oh, speaking of time…." He looked at his wrist watch, getting very nervous all of a sudden.

"Oh no! I promised mom and Videl that I would be back already an hour ago! I'm sorry, I better get going."

"Don't worry about it, kid."

"Tell Dende I'm very happy for both of you and can't wait to see the little one until he arrives."

"I will." Piccolo nodded. "Oh, and Gohan!"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone else about us… or the baby. At least not yet. We shall tell them when we're ready."

"You can count on me." Gohan smiled, and took off.


	8. Prepare for Trouble

A few weeks passed. Mr. Popo had been passed out for a good hour after hearing Dende's revelation about the upcoming, yet highly unexpected, addition to their little "family", but after the initial shock and getting used to the idea, he had become seemingly excited about the idea of having a small child up on the Lookout again. He had become unusually chipper, and was now half-way done in changing one of the bedrooms into a giant nursery, one of worthy to a child of two Guardians; one current and one former.

–Apparently, the last time a Guardian had had a family with children had been over 2000 years ago, so you can guess Mr. Popo was now more than welcome to the idea after such a long while.

Piccolo also had eventually returned to the Lookout, but was still obviously sore about Dende knocking him up, so he hadn't let the poor Guardian within 2 feet from him since.

Meanwhile Dende hadn't still figured out how to tell his mate about the baby shower that Bulma had promised to arrange, out of fear that he would receive more "penalty-time" from the already vexed and very gravid Piccolo. The situation was also getting on his nerves since all he could think of now was how much he indeed loved his mate, especially now that they knew he was carrying his, no their, child. So predictably, he had tried his best in romancing the other Namek in all the ways he knew how, only to be rejected each time. And yes, he wouldn't even share a bed with him. Only in this case, it was Piccolo who "slept on the couch" and not vice versa. Only metaphorically, though. The older Namek had just returned using his old room, out of Dende's private quarters. The poor Guardian didn't know how long he would be able to stand the separation, and hoped the situation wouldn't last long. And he knew spilling the beans about the shower would only result to even more lonely nights. Yet he guessed there was no way going around it, either. What a complicated situation indeed!

As of now, Mr. Popo was doing his daily chores, beaming like no tomorrow; while Piccolo was meditating on the courtyard and Dende doing whatever "Guardian things" he does all day. Suddenly, a familiar face decided to pop in and say hi.

"Hey, Mr. Popo! What's up?"

"Oh, why hello, Master Korin! Isn't it just a marvelous day today?" The genie answered cheerfully.

"Well, you're sure being on a good mood." The white cat noted.

"Indeed I am! So, what brings you up here? Would you like to have some tea?"

"Sure, why not. Actually, I came to see Dende about something." Korin said, sitting down on a white terrace chair by the table the genie had been setting up before his arrival.

"Oh, I'm afraid he's a bit busy right now, but if you can wait, I'm sure he'll be out here shortly." Mr. Popo smiled, pouring his guest a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Alright, I'm not in a hurry so I might as well stay a while." The cat told, while sipping his tea. "So tell me, what's been going on up here? It's been some time since I last visited."

"Oh, things couldn't be better!" The genie had a broad smile on his face.

"How so?" Korin asked, a little curious.

But before Mr. Popo had a chance to answer, Dende ran out of the Lookout to greet his friend.

"Hello, master Korin! I thought I sensed your arrival!"

"Well, just the guy I wanted to see! How's it going, Dende?"

"I'm doing just great! And you?"

"I've been alright." Korin answered.

The old cat couldn't help but noticing how Piccolo, who had been meditating only a few feet from them, stood up and left immediately as Dende had reached the table. He also spotted the visibly rounded belly the Namek was trying to hide under his not-anymore-so-baggy clothing.

"What's with him?" he asked.

"What's with whom?" Dende asked.

"Piccolo. He just got up and left the second you arrived."

"Oh… yeah. He's been doing that lately." Dende admitted, blushing a little, looking sad.

"By the way, has he gained weight or something? I thought his midsection seemed somehow… "fuller" than before. Has he stopped training, or something?"

"Well, actually…" Dende tried to choose his words carefully. Even if he was used to the idea of becoming a father by now, telling about it was still as hard as before. He blushed a little more as he continued his awkward statement.

"No, he's not stopped training. It… both of those things you mentioned have to do with something I did, and he's been a bit bitter about it." he said, rubbing the back of his head while looking to the ground, blushing, a few little sweat drops appearing on his forehead.

"Really, now? Did you perform and experiment on him that didn't go as planned or something?"

"Well, I guess you could say that…"

"What happened?" Dende had captivated the white cat's full attention by now.

"Well I, umm…" the Guardian began, awkwardly.

"Well, to put it blunt… I…umm… kind of… fell in love with him and, umm… married him and… slept with him and, umm… impreg…nated him. Eheh…eh…" the younger man left out a few awkward chuckles after what he had said.

Korin just stared at him with his mouth open wide and dropped his cup of tea on the ground.

"You did, WHAT!"

"Impregnated him. Can you believe it?" Dende chuckled awkwardly a little more.

"You gotta be KIDDING me!" Korin yelled out, shocked. He ran to Dende and grabbed him from his robes. "You're telling me you two have actually managed to… br-breed?"

"Umm… Y-yeah?" Dende looked at him, questioningly.

Korin dropped him down in shock.

"Oh, my… Oh by the name of great Yemma and all the Kais!" He proclaimed, looking dumbfounded. "This is… this is INCREDIBLE!"

"Oh, isn't it? I've never been happier!" Mr. Popo stated, beaming.

"Heh… I guess…." Dende said, blushing.

"Oh, my greatest compliments on you two. This is truly remarkable!" The white cat stated. "Oh, have you contacted to the Great Elder about this, yet?" he asked.

"Umm, not yet. I haven't had the time…" Dende admitted, a little embarrassed by all the attention.

"Are you serious? You have to! Oh, man, they need to hear about this!"

"If you say so…" Dende agreed, looking at Korin with big eyes.

During all the fuss, nobody had noticed that Bulma had just arrived with her mother, carrying some capsules on her hand.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked.

They all stopped and looked at them.

"Oh, hey Bulma, Mrs. Briefs!" Dende greeted while getting up from the ground. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, we just brought some stuff here already in order to set up the baby shower for tomorrow."

"You WHAT!"

"Yeah, did I forget to mention?" She giggled. "We set up the date for tomorrow, everything's already pretty much done and everyone's agreed to arrive. I however didn't tell who the party was for, I wanted it to be a surprise." She chuckled, winking her eye.

"But… but…" Dende couldn't get a word out of his mouth.

"Oh, that sounds like an excellent idea! Here, let me give you a hand." Mr. Popo offered and was soon fussing around with Mrs. Briefs, decorating the palace and the courtyard, and so forth.

"Oh man… I'm in so much trouble right now…" Dende groaned.

"Why so?" Korin asked. "If you ask me, a party like this is the least that this occasion calls for."

"Yes, but you don't understand! Piccolo isn't exactly the… partying type. Plus he's very self conscious about his current state and imagining all of our friends seeing him like that… well, he wouldn't take it too well to say the least…"

"Are you trying to say he has no idea about all this?" The white cat asked.

Dende nodded, nervously. "I was too afraid to tell him! He's already irritated enough about being in that state the first place and barely stands me around himself these days! Besides, it's not like it was my idea! Bulma basically forced it on me. Never even gave me a chance to decline!"

Korin couldn't help but laugh at the poor Guardian.

"Heh heh heh, you're too much sometimes, you knew that, Dende?"

The younger man looked to the ground, embarrassed.

"But hey, listen. He's gonna be back by tomorrow, isn't he?"

"I guess, but why…"

"It's not like it mattered at this point whether you told him or not. He's gonna find out anyway. So I suggest you just try to figure out how to keep him around long enough for the party, alright? He won't be mad at you forever. By the time the kid arrives, he won't even remember ever being mad at you. Trust me, all women are like that." Korin said with a knowing tone.

"But Piccolo is not a woman!" Dende noted.

"Well, he sure is acting like one now, is he not?" The white cat had to suppress his laughter again.

"Heh, I guess you have a point." The young Guardian had to agree.

"But yeah, trust me, okay? The old grouch needs to have a break every once in awhile anyways. It's gonna be good for him."

"If you say so…" Dende said, a little unsure. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Master Korin? May I ask what it was that you originally came to see me for?"

"Oh, that's right!" the cat realized. "You know the senzu beans I grow, right? Well, this year's crop has been… Well, quite poor to say the least. I'm afraid I don't have enough to share for the always-damaged Saiyans. So they're probably gonna be needing your healing services more often than usual for a while. Hope it's not a problem."

"Oh, not at all. Thanks for informing me." Dende smiled.

"Great. I better get going before Yajirobe empties the fridge again. Mind if we pop by the party tomorrow?"

"Not at all. Would be nice if you were here too, I guess."

"Well, I see you later, kid!"

"Bye!" Dende waved at the departing cat, his gaze returning to the fuss going on the Lookout. Secretly he was happy Piccolo had left when Korin had been here, otherwise he would've been already in a huge mess.

The Guardian just hoped that the old cat was right and that everything would be better once the baby was here. Feeling he needed some alone-time to think about all this, he retired inside the Palace, thinking he might as well contact the Great Elder Muuri about the situation while he was at it. After all, he indeed felt like he was in need for some fatherly advice about everything that was going on.


	9. Great Explanations

Piccolo had flown a fair distance away from the Lookout. Though he knew he was probably overreacting a little about how he'd been avoiding Dende lately, only this time it wasn't the real issue. It had just gotten too crowded for his taste for the moment being. Perhaps some other time he wouldn't have minded so much… A time, when he wasn't as heavily gravid and trying to meditate the same time, which had gotten only harder as time went on. Not to mention the smell of the tea, that had made him nauseated.

He looked down at his now visibly rounded belly and raised a hand on it, while sitting down on a rock.

"When are you going to come out, anyway?" He asked quietly. Not that he was anxious to having the kid around; he was just growing tired of not being able to meditate properly with his belly being always on the way these days. Plus, he didn't like the side effects the pregnancy was having on him. Any smells, especially those related to food, made him nauseated, as the tea had earlier. Also he didn't like the contractions he had every once in a while. And everything just seemed to get on his nerves, especially Dende. Yeah, especially Dende.

Piccolo didn't know why exactly, though, but for some weird reason the presence of his mate had grown almost unbearable. Basically every time he came near him, especially if the younger man happened to be on a romancing mood, Piccolo got this extremely strong urge to get away and stay away from him. At times he actually felt like even attacking him, but had managed to keep himself at bay. In fact, those thoughts scared him in some level.

To make something clear, it wasn't as if Piccolo didn't love his mate anymore, or – he hated to admit this – didn't miss his touch and everything they had together prior to his current condition. Just that those things were not pleasurable for him anymore; more like the very opposite. Well, as for now anyway. Secretly the Namek wished the baby would arrive soon, so maybe then he would become his old self again, and not this… fat and bitchy half-female he so often felt like.

He still tried to meditate some, but without much success. Every time he tried, the belly was either on the way, or if he tried some other position, it either gave him contractions or just felt uncomfortable some other way. After the sun began to set, Piccolo decided to call it a night. He found a comfortable and empty lair nearby and went to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile on the Lookout, Dende was meditating inside his private quarters. He was in the process of trying to contact the Great Elder Muuri of the Planet Namek. It took a while, but finally he managed to form a connection.

"Great Elder?" he asked in his mind.

"Dende? Is that you?" he heard the old Namek answer his question.

"Yes, it's me." Dende smiled while he said this. "How are things on Namek?"

"Oh, good, just good… The usual, you know." Muuri answered. "How's Earth been treating you?"

"Just …great. Yeah, umm… Nothing could be better." he answered, a little hesitantly. The elder picked it up immediately.

"Is something bothering you, Dende?"

Dende sighed in his mind. "There's no way of hiding things from you, is there?" he formed a half smile.

"What's the matter, son?" Muuri asked.

Although relatively speaking Dende and Muuri were brothers, but due to their vast age difference and the fact that Muuri had been the biggest influence on his upbringing while he still lived on Namek, the old man was more of a father to him than their real father and former Great Elder, Guru (who's now been deceased for over ten Earth years) had ever been.

Dende was quiet for a while. "You better sit down for a while."

"I am sitting down, Dende. What is it?" Worry was apparent in the older man's voice.

"I need to talk to you about something… personal." Dende began, feeling suddenly more insecure than in a long time.

"I'm listening, child. You know you can tell me anything at all." The Great Elder assured him.

Dende thought for a short while how he should phrase what he was about to tell him.

"Well…" He chuckled a little, nervously. "The thing is… that…" He had a small break again.

"Well, I have some news for you, for one." Dende smiled, feeling uncomfortable.

"News?" The Great Elder asked, intrigued.

"Yeah… I, umm… Well, a lot has happened here since I last talked to you. Well, ehheh… Yeah. I'm fully grown-up now, and all that…"

"Yes? And?"

"Well, you know the only other Namekian that lives here is Piccolo… Well, him and I… We've grown close. Very close."

"Oh, well I'm happy to hear you're coming along well." Muuri smiled.

"Yes, but there's more than that." The younger man said.

"More? What you mean?"

"Well, you know how humans and so on… Bond with one another and become mates? Well…" He had a small pause. "That's what… happened… to us."

Muuri was silent for a good while.

"Really?" He asked, sounding surprised. "Oh, my goodness…"

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Dende asked, feeling now very insecure.

"Mad? Why would I be? I just…" The older man began. "I just… I regret not being able to seeing this happening earlier. There are so many things I should've explained you… Oh, Guru, I'm such a fool for not realizing this before."

Now it was Dende's turn to be silent in wonder.

"What you mean?"

"Son… There are a lot of things neither you nor many of us know about our species. Let me explain you." he began.

"When Guru passed away, he gave me all his wisdom and memories.

Piccolo's father (when he was still united with Kami) was the only other survivor of the great cataclysm aside Guru. What the others do not know is that during the time before the cataclysm, many things were different. Back then, our kind consisted of many different tribes and families… Families formed by two mated individuals. Today, as we are all Guru's children and thus brothers, we are too closely related with one another to bond that way. But, Piccolo… He is another story." Muuri said, and sighed as he finished.

Dende was silent for a while. This was too good to be true.

"Wow… So are you saying that…? What we feel for one another… Is indeed the way our kind was supposed to?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Dende." Muuri smiled.

"I regret not being able to explain these things for you before this happened though… I'm sure it would have made things a lot easier for you. But I'm glad to see nature found its way on its own."

"You have no idea, oh Elder." Dende let out some happy tears while saying this. "You have no idea."

"You seem to be very relieved." The old man noticed.

"Oh, yes. Very much." the younger man replied.

"All this time… I was afraid that maybe what happened between us was something unheard of or sacrilege or something… You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"I understand." Muuri smiled. "And I bet you shall be even happier to learn that you can have children together if you so wish."

That made Dende halt still for a while, his smile widening even further.

"Well, actually…" he chuckled. "We already have one on the way."


	10. Great Explanations II

"Well, actually…" Dende chuckled. "We already have one on the way."

It took a while for Muuri to comprehend what he had just heard.

"E-excuse me… Did I hear you right?" he asked, in shock.

If possible, Dende's smile spread even further. "Yes. Piccolo and I are expecting."

Muuri was silent for a while out of sheer amazement. He didn't really know how to address the situation.

"That is… That is wonderful news, Dende!" he congratulated, after gaining back his voice.

"Tell me about it." The younger man said, smiling. "I don't think I've ever been happier in my life."

"That is indeed the most amazing thing I've heard in a good long while… Oh, I can't wait until the others hear about this!" Muuri said, exhilarated.

"Oh, how far along are you, if I may ask?" he added, curious.

"Oh… I guess it's been about… two and a half to three months now." Dende recalled.

"Ah, I see." The Elder said. "Oh, by the name of Porunga! I will never again doubt the power of the natural instincts in all of us… I mean, who would have thought... The little Dende, one of the very youngest of the children of Guru, rediscovering the ancient ways of life of our kind all his own and thus turning a brand new page in the history of our kind!" he proclaimed.

"Thanks to you, our kind will no longer suffer from the disadvantages of the extensive, unilateral parthenogenesis that all of us others have been forced upon due to the lack of reasonably unrelated mates… Hopefully after a few generations it will no longer be a problem though, especially now that you have introduced the mixing of genes back in our race once again… Oh, praised be the Most Supreme for blessing us like this… What a truly remarkable day!" he said, finishing his speech.

Dende was silent out of pure awe. He couldn't help but feel that the Great Elder was giving him way too much credit than what he earned in reality.

"I thank you for all the honoring you give me, oh Elder, but that is way unnecessary. Besides, I didn't do it alone. Piccolo is the one you should be thanking, instead of myself." the younger man said, feeling a little embarrassed for all the praise he was receiving.

"Oh, of course, son, of course. Is he there with you? I would like to offer him my most sincere compliments." Muuri chuckled.

"Um, in fact… No, he is not. He's been… acting a little weird ever since we discovered he was gravid."

The Elder was silent for a moment.

"Oh, he is the one with the child? Oh, please excuse me for my mistake… I somehow took it for granted that it would be you. How embarrassing." he apologized.

Dende left out a few small chuckles. "Don't worry about it, oh Elder. Quite frankly, I find the idea of having sired this child unbelievable myself, and Piccolo does too." he said.

"In fact, I think he is a little bit bitter about the whole thing." he added, sounding now a little sad.

"Oh? How so?" The older man asked.

"Well…" he began. "He's been more or less avoiding me ever since. He's even more closed up now than he was before, and whenever I try to approach him for whatever reason, all he does is grunt and either pushes me away or leaves the scene himself." Dende said, now clearly sad.

"Hmmm, I see. I'm sorry to hear that, son. I know you must love him very much and now that you're having a child together… I can imagine you would only want to show him how happy you are about it."

"Yes, that is correct." the younger man admitted. "But how can I, when he is behaving like he does? I wonder if he even loves me anymore." he said, depressed.

"Now, Dende… I'm sure that is not the case. Think about it yourself. You know him better than any of us. I'm sure he will come around after the child is born." Muuri assured.

"That's funny… Master Korin said the same thing. I guess you're right." he said, forming a half-forced smile.

"I'm sure I am. However, now that you mentioned it… I searched Guru's memories and it seems like the gravid Namekians very often experienced changes in their behavior, such as becoming more closed up, even slightly hostile towards their mates, especially if they became too distressing towards their pregnant partner... I need to study this more later. But could as well be that this is some sort of a natural reaction, however for what purpose it is, is anyone's guess."

"Could that be really it?" Dende asked. "Though I guess it would make sense, somehow… I know some Earthling species are the same way, though not nearly all of them are monogamous the first place. But that is an intriguing idea." he said.

"You're right, it is intriguing. Maybe you should talk to Piccolo about it, when you manage to see him again. The Elder suggested.

"I think I'll do just that. I don't know, I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of that the first place."

"Oh, don't worry about it, son. How could you have known?" Muuri consoled.

"I'm afraid I have to be on my way now, though. I have some business to attend to. But please, tell Piccolo I'm tremendously excited for both of you and wish you both, and the child, all the best." he said, smiling.

"I sure will. I want to thank you on the behalf of both of us. It was very nice talking to you after such a long time." Dende replied.

"Thank you. It sure was good to hear from you, and what wonderful news you had to deliver. I shall be sharing them for our brothers tonight. I'm sure they shall be equally happy about this as I am." Muuri smiled.

"You do that. Tell them all I said hi!" Dende exclaimed.

"I will. May the Most Supreme watch over the both of you and your child."

That said, Muuri closed up their connection. Dende felt much better now, after talking to him. He thought about the party that would be held the following day and despite still feeling a little uneasy about it, he decided to go to bed. It was nearing midnight already and he was sure he wouldn't sleep any better if he stayed up any longer, so he shut out the lights and lay down. For better or worse, tomorrow would be a BIG day.


	11. And Make It Double

Piccolo couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, but he simply couldn't find a comfortable position. All in all, he didn't feel too well. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he just had a strange feeling… A feeling he usually got when something bad was going to happen. But this one was different from his usual premonitions. Piccolo sighed loudly.

"Maybe it's just another side-effect of the pregnancy." He thought.

Not that it would be surprising if it was; in fact nothing felt the same these days as before.

"Yeah, it has to be it."

Hours passed by, but Piccolo still couldn't sleep more than only a few minutes, maybe a half an hour at best a time. The closer the morning came, the stronger the uneasy feeling became. And not only that, but now he had also gotten himself a slight but persistent ache in his belly that bore a slight resemblance to muscle-pain. He knew from experience that a stomach ache was never a good sign. Something was going on at the Lookout, he was now positive of it. But for some reason he also didn't care. The need for sleep was now much stronger. The green man turned once again, this time facing the wall of the lair and closed his eyes again, hoping that at least the pain would go away, as it usually did over time. Thankfully he was sure it wasn't yet another threat that was going on, so whatever it was, it could wait until the morning. Strangely enough, this time he didn't even notice before he finally slowly drifted into the state of much needed sleep.

The morning came, and closing in to the midday, the Lookout was ready for the party to take off. Bulma, her mother (Dr. Briefs couldn't make it for some reason), Dende and Mr. Popo of course, Korin, Yajirobe, Vegeta, Trunks with his girlfriend, Bra, Yamcha, Gohan and Videl with Pan were already there. So far only Bulma, Dende, Mr. Popo, Korin and Gohan knew who the party was for exactly. When the clock hit 12:00, Krillin arrived with his wife Android 18 and their daughter Marron. Krillin was holding a huge package on his arms.

"Hey Bulma!" he greeted. "Boy, you've sure arranged one heck of a party again, haven't ya? Say, you refused to tell us before, but I'm sure you can tell us now, right? So, who's the mom-to-be? We brought this for her." Krillin said, showing off the package for Bulma, who just giggled.  
"Sorry, can't tell you just yet." she smiled.

"Awh, come on, you kidding? How can we celebrate if we don't know who to celebrate, right?"

Then he spotted Gohan who was coming towards them with Videl."

"Hey Gohan!" the bald, short man waved his friend. "It's not you and Videl who are having another kid, is it?"

The semi-Saiyan and his wife were taken aback and blushed out of the awkwardness.

"Goodness, no!" Gohan chuckled, embarrassed. "At least, not that I know of." he continued, smiling to his wife, while rubbing the back of his neck his awkwardly.

"Nope, it's not us." Videl continued, also smiling nervously.

"Oh man, who could it be?" Krillin said, bothered a little.

"Gohan knows, but he refuses to tell me." Videl said, sounding a little hurt. "To think, he can't even tell his own wife!"

"Is it true, Gohan? Care to share?" Krillin pleaded.

Gohan became a little nervous and turned to his wife who had just turned her back for him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I promised I wouldn't tell!"

While they were having their little argument, Tien arrived with Chiaotzu, and also Master Roshi came with Oolong and Puar. Now the only people missing were the Sons, and… Piccolo.

"Hey guys!" Oolong greeted. "What's going on?"

"Hey again, Oolong!" Krillin greeted. "We're trying to figure out who this party was arranged for."  
"Oh? It wasn't for Trunks and his new "do"? Oolong asked.  
"Oh yes!" Master Roshi continued. "I mean, with those hips and jugs… If I were Trunks, I'd make sure she'd be poppin' out my babies by the dozen before you could say… OUCH!"

"Shut up and behave or I'll make Vegeta kick you in to the next year!" Bulma slapped the old pervert on the face before he could finish his sentence.

"And for your information, no, it's not Trunks." she said, now angered, leaving the scene and going to talk to Bra about something.

Oolong got a sly look on his face. "I know! Maybe it was the daddy's little angel here who got herself knocked up!"

The others looked petrified. "Oolong!" Gohan yelled, surprised by the implication.  
"I mean, if she's anything like how her mother used to be in that age, and you know how they say…"

"Say, what, bacon fat?" an ominous shadow was suddenly looming over where Oolong stood.

The others backed down as the dark figure of Vegeta walked towards the now shaking and blue-faced pig and lifted him up from his shirt.

"Care to share for me as well, ham roast? What DO they say!" he demanded, in the most intimidating way he knew.

"NNNNOTHING! I SWEAR!" Oolong cried, panicking. "I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"

"That's funny… I could have sworn I heard you say something that hurt the honor of my daughter!"

"NO, NO, NO, NO, IT WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Oolong pleaded, now majorly panicking. "I was only saying they say that… your daughter is even… BETTER…. than Bulma, in every way! And SHE IS!"

Vegeta stared the sweating pig in the eyes for a while, but then, satisfied for the answer, decided to let him go. "Good. But I'm warning you; say anything dishonoring about my daughter, ever, and you'll end up on my dinner-plate. Understood!"

Poor Oolong could only nod out of his horror, and then ran away to the opposite direction as fast as he could. The others laughed at the scene, while Vegeta went back to sulking in a corner somewhere.

Meanwhile; Piccolo was suddenly wide awake. "Oh Kami, what time is it?"

He had finally drifted asleep in early morning and slept soundly until then. His belly hurt real badly now. Something was going on the Lookout, something… irreversible. He didn't like it. Something told him he had to go to the temple and see for himself. Barely being able to think, he took off in the air and flew right towards the Heavenly Palace.

"So… I know it's not A18, so that leaves us with your mother, Gohan; and Goten's girlfriend…"

"My mother!" Gohan yelped, in surprise.

"Hi, everyone!" Krillin didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as the always smiling face of Goku's got in his view. His wife Chi-Chi and their son, Gohan's brother Goten and Goten's girlfriend were with them.

"Hi, Dad!" Gohan waved to the older man.

"Goku!" Krillin called him up. "How's it going?"

"Just fine, how are you guys? I hope we're not late or anything."

"We were just thinking who it was who this party was arranged for. It's not for any of you guys, is it?"

Chi-Chi was baffled. "Don't look at me! Unless… GOTEN! Anything you'd want to tell us?"

Goten was suddenly horrified. "No, mom, I swear! I haven't even kissed her yet!"

"Weird… Who could it be then?" Krillin asked, confused.

"Any help here, Bulma?"

"Sorry, they haven't arrived yet." Bulma said, winking her eye.

"This is so strange, because, frankly, the only person who's not here yet is… PICCOLO!"

And there he was, standing on the side of the Lookout, looking absolutely horrified. Everyone had heard Krillin's yell, so they were now all staring at the green man. The big bump on his belly was perfectly visible, and suddenly everyone was able to put two and two together. There was a long awkward silence, until Piccolo managed to snap out of it.

"DENDEEEEEEEEEE!" the green man shouted, walking right towards the smaller green man and grabbed him from his robes.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE? WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE DOING IN HERE?"

"Well, th-they… Dende stuttered. "They came for the party… for our baby."

There was a short pause as the completely astounded look spread on every witness' faces, staring at Piccolo, who suddenly groaned out loud, falling on the ground clutching his belly in deep pain.


	12. The Birth

"Piccolo!" Both Dende and Gohan yelled the same time.

"What happened?"

"I-uh, I don't know." Piccolo said, panting, still holding onto his belly.

Piccolo was a strong fighter, who had endured all forms of pain he thought was possible for someone who had faced the most strongest and terrifying opponents one couldn't even think of, and died and been brought back to life twice while at it. But this pain was new. It was as if someone was strangling his insides... from the inside! Any forms of pain that originated from the outside he could manage, he'd trained himself for it. But this one came from within his body, and was much stronger than anything else of such origins he'd ever had before. Suddenly nothing else mattered anymore… He only wanted this pain to stop!

"Piccolo! Concentrate! Where exactly does it hurt the most?" Bulma quickly asked him, looking dead serious.

"In… in here…" Piccolo grimaced, putting his hands on the lowest parts of his swollen abdomen.

"He's in labor! We need to get him inside, quick!" she yelled.

After witnessing the astounding scene all quietly the crowd suddenly became alive again and began to chatter in slight panic, giving space around the painfully laboring Namek. Even Vegeta was so shocked by what he saw, that he didn't make any his usual smart remarks.

Bulma decided to take charge of the situation. Before anybody could say anything, she had already told Mr. Popo to prepare a room and bring lots of clean towels, a bowl of hot water, a lit candle and a pair of scissors in there. The black genie left in a hurry, meanwhile Bulma ordered Goku and Gohan help the groaning Namek in the room Mr. Popo was preparing. They carried the heavily pregnant green man in and laid him on the bed. When Mr. Popo returned with what Bulma had asked, she told everyone else except Dende to leave the room. They obeyed without a question; none of them wanted to see what was about to happen.

"Dende, I swear to God, I'm going to castrate you when all this is over!" Piccolo managed to say when the pain eased a little. "Unless I kill you first, ow!" he continued, the pain instantly returning.

Poor Dende felt really out of place. He hated to see his mate like this, but then again he knew there was nothing he could do about it. After all, hadn't Muuri just told him most of the Namekian babies were born like this back when Guru was young and before that?

"Dende!" Bulma called on him, waking him up from his daydream.

"I need you to help me take Piccolo's clothes off!"

"Oh, right!" Dende said, blushing nervously.

They both held on to the shoulder-pads, expecting them to weight like a ton, but for their surprise, didn't weight nearly as much as they had thought and could easily take it off. Same was for his headpiece, it was no longer the weighted turban he had worn prior to all this, but only a simple headband. Also, over his usual gi-pants, he now wore a sheer, short-sleeved robe wrapped around him and tied with a sash above his belly. Apparently Piccolo had changed his wardrobe into something more comfortable and less weighted due to the pregnancy.

Bulma wrapped the cape with the shoulder-pads neatly in a corner, and told Dende to remove Piccolo's pants. The laboring Namek protested a little, but Dende didn't let it bother him.

"Alright, Dende, you can go sit behind Piccolo's back and support him." she ordered, going herself on the foot of the bed.

"Now, Piccolo! Do you remember when the contractions began?" she asked.

"Remember whaa-owww-at?" the poor man yelled.

"The contractions! When did the pains start?"

"A-owww-round 3 am, or so… I-owww-I think!"

"You think? Why didn't you come back any sooner!"

"Does it -owwww- matter! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Alright, FINE! Unfortunately the pains won't stop until the baby is out, but we will help you through it, okay? You're likely fully dilated by now, soon you can begin to push!"

"OWWWWW-What!"

"PREPARE TO PUSH!"

Piccolo grimaced, as he soon indeed felt a sudden need to constrict the muscles in the lower end of his torso, similar to emptying his bowels but way much stronger… and more painful, if that even needs to be mentioned. He pushed, hard, in perfect harmony with the contractions with Dende supporting him from his back, but something was wrong.

"It's not moving!" Piccolo yelled, after the third time he tried.

"What!" Bulma exclaimed, and lifted the blanket on Piccolo's legs. She glanced down to his rear and saw something peeking out of his birth canal. "Are you sure!"

Piccolo tried pushing once more, but in vain, only to prove his point. "It's not moving anywhere!"

"Try once more, but this time with all you've got!" Bulma suggested, but Piccolo refused.

"I need to…" he panted. "I need to turn around." He insisted, as if something primal within his brain told him to do so.

"You sure?" Bulma asked, in surprise.

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Piccolo yelled, as Dende helped the panting and sweaty Namek to turn on his all fours, his back now turned towards Bulma. She hurried and put some towels underneath him, before returning to her position as the midwife. Piccolo held onto Dende, who was holding his left hand, and began to push again, amongst all the sweating, panting, grimacing and groaning… and again… and again…

Then, finally, Piccolo felt progress was being made.

"It's coming!" he yelled, spreading his legs even further.

"Alright, way to go!" She exclaimed. "Now, push!"

Piccolo didn't need to be told twice. Dende watched eyes widened at the miracle happening before his own eyes… Something round was showing out of his mate's bottom. Piccolo was panting and groaning, pushing with all he had. Finally, when he got the feeling it was going to be over soon, he prepared himself for one final massive push, clutching even harder on Dende's hand, groaning even louder while he pushed as hard as he possibly could without causing any damage on himself. The pain was almost completely intolerable by then, but the immense labor didn't last long, as he suddenly felt the pressure escaping his rear and felt something dropping underneath him. All Piccolo could think of then was to catch his breath, as he fell down on his now-flat belly, panting heavily.

First he didn't notice that both Bulma and Dende stood still and stared down amazed on what laid on the bed between his knees. Then Piccolo's senses sharpened too. He didn't hear a wail. Quickly he stood up and stared down on the bed, his eyes widening at the sight.

Bulma was the first one to voice what they all were thinking at the moment:

"Oh, my goodness…."


	13. The Aftermath

Meanwhile, the people left outside were completely in shock about what they had just witnessed. Save for the few who already knew what was going on, they had all only been informed by Bulma that there was going to be a baby-shower for someone on the Lookout. To whom, she didn't tell. Also, most people did consider the place itself a little weird for such an occasion, but the blue-haired genius had only smiled and said it would all be explained in due time. Back then, had they even had the slightest idea of what was about to happen on this very day, they would have been at least somewhat prepared for the near-heart attack they all experienced; when they finally discovered that of all people the party had been arranged for the sturdy, serious, and wise Namekian warrior, whom most of them had previously thought to have been either just male, or asexual. Even more shocking for them was to actually witness this said loner-type alien not only being so heavily pregnant, which in itself was a completely out-of-this-world of an idea, but actually going into labor right before their eyes… and if they had heard correctly, Dende had referred to the baby as "theirs" so one begged the question if the young Guardian was indeed the father, and also, how was it possible?

Vegeta was the first one to snap out of it, right before Gohan, Mr. Popo and Goku stepped outside the Lookout.

"Live and learn… Never thought I'd see the day when the Namek turns out to be a woman." the Saiyan Prince chuckled, amused.

Videl was the next.

"Gohan!" she yelled. "You knew about this? All this time!"

"Well, I did, but…"

"Yeah, Gohan! What the hell?" Yamcha joined in the conversation. "You could have told us Piccolo was a female! Can you think how stupid we look now for thinking otherwise all these years?"

The others joined in the conversation demanding an explanation. Poor Gohan was soon feeling as if he was suffocating in the questions, but thankfully Korin saw his anguish and decided to help. He stepped up on the Lookout's porch and raised his voice:

"Hey all, listen!"

They all stopped and looked at the old, white cat.

"There is a very reasonable explanation for all this. If you'd just let Gohan go, and give us a minute. Everything will be explained."

They obeyed, and started asking their questions from the cat, who shut them up again by waving nervously.

"Hey, it was my turn to speak, not yours! Sheesh!"

When the crowd got quiet, he went on.

"As I said, there's a logical explanation to all this."

"Yeah." Vegeta agreed. "The Namek's a woman who's into younger men. Bet she never wanted us to find out."

"Will you shut up!" Korin yelled.

"And no, you're wrong. Piccolo is not a woman."

The crowd looked at one another, and Krillin raised a hand.

"Then how come he's having a kid as we speak?"

"If you'd just let me explain!" The cat yelled, Gohan joining next to him on the porch.

"It's actually quite simple. Bulma explained it for me once she found out I knew what was going on. She had run some tests on both Piccolo and Dende, and discovered they are in fact hermaphrodites."

And as Yamcha was about to ask what it meant anyway, he decided to continue:

"…Which means they have both male and female genitalia and that enabled Piccolo to become… pregnant."

"Oh, that's right!" Krillin remembered. "That explains why we didn't see any females when we were on Namek! They don't have any to begin with!"

"Exactly." Korin continued.

"Hmph. Well, it still doesn't take away the fact that Piccolo obviously slept with the green squirt and got himself knocked up with the little Namek's kid. Really, they didn't think to use protection? Man, this is priceless!"

"Not that it was any of your business, Vegeta." Korin looked at the Saiyan Prince with a displeased look. "But I understand that neither Piccolo nor Dende knew this was possible. Considering that the last time two Nameks had successfully bred like this, was back when Guru was still young, before the cataclysm and all. Before this, both Piccolo and Dende only knew the asexual way their race is also able to reproduce, which is spitting out eggs by parthenogenesis. This thing, however… I suppose them being the only ones of their race on this planet brought them together and nature took care of the rest. And here we are.

The crowd was quiet for a while, as they digested what they had just learned. Some time went by, and finally the doors opened and Bulma stepped out, smiling.

"Bulma!" Gohan called on her. "How is Piccolo? Is everything okay? Is the baby here yet?"

"He's dead tired as you can guess, but fine. Come on in, he wants to see you." she smiled.

"Meanwhile, you others can wait your turn." she continued, as she closed up the doors again.

She led the man through the corridors in Piccolo's room and let him in. And there he was, lying in bed, all covered up in his blanket. He lifted his head up as he saw Gohan approaching and casted a little smile.

Dende was sitting next to him on the left side of the bed.

"Hey Piccolo, Dende!" the demi-saiyan greeted.

"Hey kid." "Hey, Gohan!" were the answers he got.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Yeah, Piccolo and I thought that since you're ours, and especially Piccolo's, closest friend, that we'd let you in first." Dende smiled.

"So, the baby is here? Where is he?" Gohan asked, looking around.  
Dende glanced at Piccolo, smiling, who nodded towards Gohan to come closer and with a proud little smile on his face; he slowly lifted up the blanket on his right side.

Gohan didn't believe at first what he saw.

"An egg?"

"That's right." Piccolo said.

"It seems Namekians are born from eggs no matter which way they were conceived." Dende stated.

"It makes sense now…" Gohan agreed. "No wonder your entire gestation period seemed kind of… rushed."

"Yeah, I guess so." Piccolo said, feeling awkward.

"Any idea when he will hatch?" Gohan suddenly asked.

Both Dende and Piccolo perked up a little and looked at one another, looking baffled.

"I'd think it would take at least as long as the pregnancy itself, but I need to ask from Elder Muuri."

"Yeah, I'd guess so, too…" Gohan noted, trying to think what the biology books said about the incubation of bird and reptilian eggs.

Piccolo didn't say anything; he was just staring at the egg. It just sunk in him that now that he finally got it out of his body, he'd still be stuck carrying it with him until it hatched… Yet strangely, the idea didn't seem as unpleasant as he thought it would have. At least now he can move it around, and it won't prevent him from meditating. And he'd be able to train a little more now, too. He wouldn't admit it, but… now that the egg was there and he could feel the life-energy inside it, the idea of becoming a parent didn't seem as bad after all… And he wouldn't be alone in it, as Dende and Mr. Popo were there too. But then again, would he trust his son in the care of those two? Well, only time would tell. Piccolo ran a finger on the smooth surface of the egg, feeling the warmth. They said bye to Gohan who congratulated them on having the egg and left the room, with Mr. Popo walking in, and being completely awestruck after he saw the egg. The others came in small groups after him, but Piccolo hardly paid any attention on them; as a question Mr. Popo had asked sunk in his mind and wouldn't give him a rest as he hadn't given one thought on the issue before; what were they going to name their son after he hatched?


	14. Ten Days Wiser

One and a half weeks had passed since Piccolo laid his egg. So far Piccolo had been too scared to move it around much, so he kept it in the crib inside the Lookout's new nursery while he monitored it like a hawk. While he wasn't meditating, that is. Gohan had visited the parents-to-be often ever since, coming only second to Bulma who visited every day, to make sure everything was fine with the baby inside the white oval-shaped sphere's protective shell.

Dende himself was very proud of the egg, yet felt a little uncertain the same time. He thought of his job as the Guardian of Earth and how busy the position usually kept him. Would he even have enough time for his child? For better or worse though, he promised himself to try his best. It had been an unusually quiet day on Earth that time so he decided it was finally the time to update the Great Elder Muuri about what had happened so far.

The young Guardian sat down and began to concentrate on forming a contact to his eldest brother. This time it took a good half an hour before the connection was established.

"Muuri?" Dende asked, when he felt the connection was done.

"Dende? Oh, good to hear from you! You know, I was just thinking about you!" The old Namek chuckled.

"Good to hear from you, too." Dende smiled.

"So, tell me! How are things going on over there? Has the egg arrived yet?" Muuri asked, eagerly.

"Oh, yes!" Dende said, smiling. "Piccolo went into labor about 10 days ago".

"Really? Oh, that's marvelous!" the older Namek exclaimed.

"Speaking about the egg, do you know how long it takes for it to hatch? Piccolo didn't know and neither do I."

"Oh, about as long as the pregnancy itself." Muuri chuckled. "Which is… how long was it again, in Earth time?"

"About 90 Earth days which is about three Earth months." Dende confirmed.

"Ah, yes. I still get mixed up with those." the old man laughed.

"By the way, good thing you called. I've done some research on Guru's memories and you might find some of it interesting."

"Oh? What is it?" Dende asked.

"Well, I recall you telling me Piccolo had been avoiding you and so on, am I right? Well, according to what I found it indeed was quite common behavior among newly-mated couples expecting their first hatchling. On the expectant partner's side, naturally. "

"Really? Well I'm glad it was just that and nothing else."

"Indeed so. However, unfortunately I wasn't able to detect what was the exact purpose for such behavior. I suppose Guru was too young at the time to have known himself." Muuri apologized.

"It's alright; I'm only very relieved to know that it's normal and not just my own fault." Dende said, letting out a happy sigh in the end.

"How is he doing now, by the way?" Muuri asked, curious.

"Piccolo? He's very protective of the egg. He doesn't let anyone touch it but him, and myself on occasion, and keeps it tucked in in the crib Mr. Popo made for the baby. The only times he leaves it out of his sight is when he has to use the bathroom. He refuses to leave the nursery for any other reason."

"Ah, well that was predictable; it's just his parental instincts kicking in. But don't worry; it's perfectly safe to move the egg around in any case. I don't know if you remember the slings our people usually carry their eggs and hatchlings in?"

"Oh, yeah! Why didn't I think of that!" Dende exclaimed.

"Maybe you should talk him into using one of those? Though I know his tendencies of being a loner, I don't think it's good for him to sit still in one place through the incubation like some brooding bird." Muuri said, laughing.

"That's a great idea! I'll do just that. Thank you, oh Elder!"

"Anytime, Dende. Besides, I think it was about time for you two to spend some… _Quality time_ together, now that you still can." The old man chuckled.

Dende blushed at the implication. "…Yeah, I guess it would be… nice."

Muuri was amused by Dende's discomfort. "Who knows, maybe this one would have a little sibling on the way right after hatching."

Dende's face couldn't have gotten purpler even if you had poured plum juice all over him. "Eh, I wonder what Piccolo would think of that…" he managed to say, awkwardly.

"Calm yourself, I was only joking." Muuri comforted the younger man. "Besides, it wouldn't be possible anyway".

"Oh? What do you mean?" Dende asked, now curious.

"According to what I understood from Guru's memories, the downside to the… Sexual reproduction of our kind is that even the most fertile individuals could produce approximately only one egg every week-year."

"Is that in Earth years or Namekian years?" Dende asked quickly.

"Seven Namekian years." Muuri confirmed.

"So, only about one egg every three and a half Earth years… and that's for the most fertile individuals… Wow." Dende thought to himself.

"Indeed. Though of course, if both spouses conceived, the rate doubled. But even still, it's not much. So it's no wonder our kind is also able to reproduce through parthenogenesis, as then the gestation period is not only twice as fast, but the whole thing requires only a fraction of the energy compared to this, so eggs can be produced in a remarkably faster rate that way. Not to mention it can also be manipulated by ki to speed it up even more."

"Wow, that's interesting… I didn't know that." Dende stated, awestruck.

"Do you know why that is?"

"I'm only guessing, but I think it has to do with the complexity of the process in mixing genes, and the conflicts between the male- and female hormones in our bodies. You see, for some odd reason the male parts of our body develop and mature way before the female ones. That is why we all look male rather than female. An individual could be physically an adult but still not able to ovulate yet."

"Oh!" Dende exclaimed.

"That would also explain why it was Piccolo who conceived, and not me… I'm too young to, aren't I?"

"It's very possible." Muuri confirmed.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, oh Elder, but I really must share this with Piccolo, right away."

"No need to apologize lad, I have to go as well. Tell Piccolo my greetings and hope the best for both of you." The old man smiled, and closed the connection.


	15. When Life Gives You Lemons

Piccolo was meditating in the nursery, like he was always these days. He just couldn't leave the egg alone. It had brought him way too much trouble already so he couldn't let anything happen to it. He didn't endure all those things just to see the egg break or not hatch. That just would not do.

Piccolo opened his right eye and took a glance on the egg. Everything was still the same as it had been 30 seconds ago, like it always was. He left out a sigh. He really felt like doing some exercising after so long, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving the egg alone. Despite Dende would be watching over it, he still couldn't do it. He cursed silently in his mind for the parental instincts that had made him like this. Despite he was secretly getting pretty excited over becoming a parent, he had to admit he was still a little sore that he had been the one who got pregnant and not Dende. Speaking of the devil, the young man suddenly barged in hurriedly, being slightly out of breath.

"What is it now, Dende?" Piccolo asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation, but I'm sure you'll want to hear this… I talked to Muuri just a minute ago and was told something you might be interested in." the younger man explained, huffing slightly. He then went on telling his mate what he had learned from Muuri, about how their biology worked. And he had been right; Piccolo seemed to be most interested.

"So, you're basically saying that it was just bad luck it was me and not you." He summed up.

"If you want to put it that way, I guess so." Dende said, turning his head, feeling a little hurt.

"Though, it's not like I could help being younger than you."

"You're only four years younger than me." Piccolo countered.

"But you were already a teenager at only three years old and a grown-up at eight, while I grew up the normal rate! Makes a big difference, don't you think?"

Piccolo was taken aback. He had to admit Dende had a point. Or points. If what Muuri had said was true, Dende indeed had no control over when he would be ready to produce eggs sexually, nor was he at fault about his aging. He felt a little embarrassed for saying such childish arguments, especially when he saw Dende being slightly hurt for what he had said. The older man looked at their egg once more. He realized they likely wouldn't have an egg the first place if it hadn't been him to having it and Dende to sire it. He also noticed that Dende's presence didn't make him feel uncomfortable anymore like it had during the pregnancy. The Guardian had turned his back on Piccolo, his hands clutched over his chest. For some reason Piccolo couldn't stand seeing him like that. He stepped down and took small steps towards his mate and stopped right before his chest would bump into the shorter man's back of the head. He put his right hand on his shoulder and said:

"You're right. It does."

Dende looked slightly confused while Piccolo gently guided him to turn around and brushed his cheek with his thumb, right before lowering his lips on his. That, Dende had not seen coming. His eyes widened in surprise at the bold, totally unpredictable move. Piccolo kept kissing him, wrapping his other arm around the startled young man, deepening the kiss. Dende held his breath as his heart rate skyrocketed. Was this really happening? Or was it only a dream? What on Earth would possess Piccolo doing something so romantic and intimate after being rejected by him for the last three months?

Finally Piccolo pulled away and smirked at the completely dumbfounded look on his mate's face. Deciding to prove he was being serious he pulled the shorter man closer and hungrily pressed his lips again on Dende's, who left out a moan as the breath he had been holding escaped from his lungs. It sobered him enough to realizing what was happening was indeed all real and he didn't want to miss one millisecond of enjoying what was going on, and he kissed Piccolo back, reaching his arms around the tall Namek, deepening their lip-lock. He no longer cared of his mate's motives; it had been way too long since they had done this last time.

Piccolo broke away from the kiss after a good while, panting heavily, but continued kissing his mate down the neck almost immediately. Dende moaned in bliss, breathing heavily, his eyes closed, as Piccolo's arms travelled all around his body. All Dende could think of that moment was how much he wanted this. Nothing else mattered anymore.

He yelped a little as he felt Piccolo's hands travelling underneath his robes. The young Guardian didn't object though, quite the opposite. He pushed his other hand inside Piccolo's gi-top while his other one unfastened his sash; and the older man did the same for his. Dende was following his lead, as Piccolo slowly led the couple closer to the bed Piccolo had earlier given birth to their egg on. Dende sat on the side of the bed with Piccolo still nibbling onto him hungrily, yanking his vest off. Dende did the same for the taller Namek's shirt. Goosebumps travelled down his body as he felt his naked skin, throwing his moccasins on the floor while Piccolo followed his example. Then the older man pushed him down on the bed, gently supporting him from behind with his strong arms as he ripped off Dende's robes that were getting on his nerves at that point.  
Dende shivered as Piccolo lay on top of him, licking him from behind his ear, sending jolts of electricity down his spine. The younger Namek could feel Piccolo's hardness pressing on his leg and it made his face flush bright purple. The older man shifted in his position, licking Dende down his chest towards his belly, taking off the Guardian's pants the same time. His own followed in an instant.

Piccolo slowly elevated Dende's legs up as he positioned himself in between them, sending one final glance over his mate, who looked like he had just then died and gone to heaven; his smile only widening even further as the fine act of lovemaking he had been looking forward to for so long finally commenced.

Piccolo did everything he had ever fantasized of and even more. It was so good he couldn't help but wonder what had changed so suddenly. Only two weeks ago Piccolo wouldn't even stand nearby him, and now he was literally all over him. He didn't mind though, not the least! He just wished he could repay him everything later on, as he was sure the older man was still sore from giving birth to the egg. He also wondered if Muuri somehow knew what was coming, when he had mentioned spending some quality time with Piccolo while they still could.

They spent almost an hour in the bed. When Piccolo had finally used up all his energy and had to stop, he still stayed in there with his mate, quietly cuddling him. Dende held onto his arm and finally broke the silence:

"Thank you."

Piccolo knew exactly how much weight was on those two words. He looked down to the younger man, leaving out a small sigh:

"The least I could do."

Dende nodded, understanding what he meant. "Muuri told me pregnancy has some… Negative effects on the gravid Namekians. I don't blame you."

Piccolo was quiet for a moment.

"I still was an ass." He finally admitted.

"Yes, you were." Dende smiled, looking at him and kissing him on his chin.

"But don't worry. I forgive you."

Piccolo smirked at him and rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. Then he rolled over, leaning on his elbows and stared at Dende with a sly look on his face, asking:

"Wanna do it again?"


End file.
